Why White Men Love Star Trek

When you are born black, brown, red, yellow, or female in America no one tells you that you are destined to rule, to become king of the mountain. But if you are a white man, the echoes of colonialism and domination are pervasive and shape an expectation of supremacy that our current culture is failing to fulfill.

Women are fighting openly for autonomy. Racism, though still prevalent, is no longer welcome in the public square. Economic power resides in unreachable corporate castles that may themselves be male and white, but admit only the rare few. LGBT citizens are demanding the right to live full lives that reject the basics of gender politics and male domination.

When a woman or a man of color watches Captain Kirk save all the most important people on his massive star ship by kicking the radioactive main core repeatedly until it powers up, we see a wildly improbable plot device. White men are more apt to see the vindication of their waning powers. It is a world where the evil villain and the faceless technological monolith in the end succumb to the greater power of one white man who can hit and kick harder than the bad guy

This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Valerie Rose Brinton is a depth psychologist at Fillmore's Wellness Center in the Santa Clara River valley of Southern California. Her research on the transpersonal nature of post traumatic symptoms and persistent distress is available online.

Why White Men Love Star Trek

When you are born black, brown, red, yellow, or female in America no one tells you that you are destined to rule, to become king of the mountain. But if you are a white man, the echoes of colonialism and domination are pervasive and shape an expectation of supremacy that our current culture is failing to fulfill.

Women are fighting openly for autonomy. Racism, though still prevalent, is no longer welcome in the public square. Economic power resides in unreachable corporate castles that may themselves be male and white, but admit only the rare few. LGBT citizens are demanding the right to live full lives that reject the basics of gender politics and male domination.

When a woman or a man of color watches Captain Kirk save all the most important people on his massive star ship by kicking the radioactive main core repeatedly until it powers up, we see a wildly improbable plot device. White men are more apt to see the vindication of their waning powers. It is a world where the evil villain and the faceless technological monolith in the end succumb to the greater power of one white man who can hit and kick harder than the bad guy

This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Valerie Rose Brinton is a depth psychologist at Fillmore's Wellness Center in the Santa Clara River valley of Southern California. Her research on the transpersonal nature of post traumatic symptoms and persistent distress is available online.